News

Olympian Delivers Keynote Address

Gold medal gymnast Dominique Dawes delivers her motivational speech for the 2009 Black Heritage Month Keynote Address at Mason.

  • Watch Dawes perform her floor routine at the 1996 Olympics here.

Recyclemania

A Competition to Increase Environmental Awareness

What is Recyclemania?

Colleges and universities are small cities that consume large amounts of resources and generate much solid waste. Whether a school has an extensive waste reduction program or is just getting basic recycling collections off the ground, experience has shown that all schools have potential to further reduce the amount of resources they consume and dispose of.

Buying a Foot in the Door

By Staff Writer Jared Trice

Amid the economic crisis, parents of young, career-bound students are managing to pay thousands of dollars for the chance to secure an internship for their children.

A recent trend has emerged where individuals may consult internship placement programs to buy themselves a foot in the door. These programs have emerged ­after many parents and students have encountered difficulty securing an internship in an overly-saturated market. Some are paying for-profit companies for unpaid internships while others are bidding for them on online charity auctions.

Final Roundtable Discussion

By GMU Sustainability Council Member Aaron Hartman

On Wednesday, Feb. 25 from 7:30 to 9 p.m., our final roundtable discussion, "Earth, Wind, and Fire: Powering the Future?" will be held in Research I, room 163.

During the month of February, Mason hosted four roundtable discussions on the future of energy on the following topics: coal, transport fuels, nuclear, and renewables.

For more details, please contact Colin Bennett in the Office of Sustainability at cbennet6@gmu.edu or check out the C2M Calendar page.

Limited Weekend Dining

By Broadside Asst. News Editor Kevin Loker

The current economic recession paired with a changing student demand has caused Dining Services to alter hours of operation across campus in an effort to do what makes the most “financial sense.”

In effect since the start of the spring semester, Damon’s Express in Student Union Building I is closed on Fridays. Café a la Cart in Enterprise Hall now only operates Monday through Thursday and Southside’s Gold Rush closes its doors on Saturdays and Sundays.

Virginia Smoking Ban

By Broadside News Editor Sonya Hudson

The Virginia House of Delegates has agreed to sign off on a statewide smoking ban in bars and restaurants.

If approved by the Senate the ban will go into effect July 1 and will ban smoking in nearly all restaurants across Virginia.

Private clubs and restaurants with designated smoking rooms and outdoor patios would not be included in the ban.

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Written by the Broadside Opinion Staff. Photos courtesy of flickr user joeltelling.

Thumbs UpGUNSTON’S GO-BUS has made living on campus more convenient by making it easier for students to meet their off-campus needs. The bus shuttles students from the Sandy Creek shuttle stop to Fairfax Corner, Fair Oaks Mall, the Fair Lakes Shopping Center and Old Town Fairfax. Visit sg.gmu.edu/resources/go-bus/ for schedules and more.

Thumbs DownINCREASE IN HOUSING RATES. The Board of Visitors met on Feb. 4 and voted to approve new room and board rates for 2009-2010. The average increase for most students living on campus will be $450 or 6.25 percent for the year. Depending on accommodations chosen, the actual room rate increase varies from 4 to 7.6 percent.

Mason's Network Down, GMU.EDU Unavailable

UPDATE: Blackboard, Mason mail and GMU.edu are accessable to some. Some issues still have not been resolved. Many students are still not able to access the network due to instability in the network itself.

Mason's Data Center computer operator Benita James said there is no data loss to be reported at this time. According to James, students will receive e-mails sent between the time the network went down to now, but the system will be very slow in recovering them, which means students will have to wait.

Ringling Brothers Stands Trial for Abuse

By Broadside Contributor Brianne Lanigan

In a book titled The Circus King, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus grandfather, Henry N. Ringling, says that, "it is not usually a pretty sight to see the big cats trained . . . they are all chained to their pedestals and ropes are put around their necks to choke them down and make them obey. All sorts of other brutalities are used to force them to obey the trainer and learn their tricks. They work from fear."

Don’t Waffle, Don’t Backpedal

By Broadside Contributor Jaap Weel

When Stephen Benjamin joined the U.S. Navy, he knew what he was getting into. Every day of his life as a naval officer he would live in fear of becoming a former naval officer. Of course, everyone in the military fears a premature end to their career. Those who join the military voluntarily sign up for a risky job; they know it and they are well-rewarded for it.